Youth volunteering in Ile de France : an asset for youngsters, a chance for associations
A pilot study was proposed and realised by the Institute for
Research and Information on Volunteering (IRIV) in 1998 with the
support of the Ministry for Youth and Sports and its Direction for
Youth and Associative Life. Ile de France is the first region for
the number of youngsters and associations.
A synthesis is integrated in the publication :
Volunteering : a chance for
youngsters in Europe.
Objectives
The study is focussed on two main goals : youth
volunteering is changing and associations are ready to welcome more
young volunteers. A new form of volunteering is developing in France
among youngsters : more practical and professional oriented.
Youngsters are ready to involve themselves in a voluntary experience
for solidarity purposes or as a way to prepare their professional
future. Being a volunteer as a scout or in another youth organisation
is no more the preponderant trend in youth volunteering. On the other
hand, many associations are complaining about the lack of young
recruits. They have to precise more clearly their needs to adapt to
the youngsters demand. They may be the place of a privileged
solidarity between active and inactive people, youngsters and
seniors, to share their experiences and knowledge.
Goal
Determining the youngsters expectations and the
associations needs would allow to promote , in France, some kind of
national program for youth volunteering that doesn't exist yet.
Methodology
Two questionnaires were dispatched among youngsters and
associations. The first one was dispatched among youngsters, aged 16
to 35 years, via a specific network for the information of youngsters
("Réseau information jeunesse"). 1268 answers in Ile de
France. The second questionnaire was sent to associations via City
halls , Préfectures and the Regional Directions for Youth and
Sports . 512 answers in Ile de France. The consultation among
youngsters and associations was facilitated by the support of the
Directions for Youth and Sports. Thanks to this partnership we could
obtain very good return for the questionnaires that were dispatched
through their networks.
Planning
January -March 1998 :
Contacts
April-May 1998: Dispatching of the questionnaires
June-September 1998 : Analysis of the questionnaires
October- December 1998 : Final draft
January 1999 : Presentation of the results
Results
In Ile de France, 44.2% of the youngsters
interviewed were volunteers. The average young volunteer is : a
boy ; aged between 26 and 35 years ; with at least the baccalaureate
and over ; married youngsters are more volunteers than non married
ones ; youngsters with a professional activity are more volunteers
than those with none. The chance to be a volunteer whether you are
young or not grows with the age, the education background and the
professional activity. Their voluntary experience has been positive
for more than 90% of the youngsters interviewed : first in a personal
point of view, second in a professional perspective. The main domains
of involvement of youngsters are : Sport and leisure : ½ of the
answers ; Education-training-employment : ¼ of the answers ;
Humanitarian field : ¼ of the answers ; Culture : 1/5 of the
answers. In the national studies, the first fields of involvement are
also : sport and leisure (36% of the volunteers), education and
research (20%), culture and arts (15%) and social services (13%).
More than 3/4 of the associations interviewed are ready to welcome
more youngsters among them. Youngsters interviewed during the
regional studies were quite enthusiastic on volunteering.
Associations were also quite involved on the subject of youth
volunteering.